Resentment
by Sarcasma
Summary: Collection of some lesser characters' views on certain events and people. Some internal thoughts that you might not have considered before. Featuring Petunia, Filch, Snape, Madam Rosmerta, and more. Each chapter stands on its own... Please R
1. Bitter Petunia

I don't own these characters, but I thought this might enlighten some of you on what my opinion is on Petunia! It takes place when she finds out her sister is dead.

Chapter 1- Bitter Petunia

I woke up early, Dudley had been fussing for some food so I went down the stairs to warm some baby cereal for the poor boy. I put the rice and peaches into a bowl and set it into our microwave to heat, when I decided to see if the milk had come that morning yet. I opened the door to find a child. I screamed. What else could I have done? I was sorry that I had woken him, but there was nothing to be done about it by that point.

"Petunia? What is it?" My husband called from our bedroom, where he was already getting ready for work.

I didn't say anything for a moment. There wasn't anything to say, as far as I could tell. The child was crying, and I picked up the bundle that had black hair that, even for a baby seemed to fly everywhere. There was something vaguely familiar with this child, but I couldn't quite figure out what it could have been. That's when I saw the note, the dreaded note. "Vernon! Vernon come here!"

Vernon came into the room and began to become flustered at what I was holding in my arms. He asked, not entirely calm, and I told him that I wasn't sure. "It's your sister's dreaded boy," Vernon said. "I'm sure of it!" The baby couldn't have been any younger than my Duddy, so I told Vernon to give the child a bit of food as I attempted to figure out what was going on. I opened the envelope and sat down to read its contents.

Petunia,

I know this will come as a shock to you and your family, but you are the only family this boy has left. We need you to care for the boy. Harry will become a great asset to our world, and I expect that you will be able to raise him, and take care of his needs until he is old enough to do so for himself.

Your sister, Lily, has been killed by a curse, as was her husband, James. There was a protection Lily gave to Harry that only you can provide now. I will personally see to it that your family will not be harmed, if you keep the child in your household. If you do not, I can guarantee nothing to you or your loved ones under any other circumstances. There will be others checking on Harry from time to time.

My deepest sympathies at this loss,

Albus Dumbledore

I sat there, stunned. I took the note in to my husband, who was attempting to feed Dudley and giving bits to my nephew from time to time. Vernon read the note, put it down on the table, and slammed his fist onto it. "They want us to care for him? She hasn't talked to you in years, and they want us to carry the burden? We'll just have to write them back and tell them to take the boy!"

Vernon's temper was rising quickly, but I didn't think it a good idea to tamper with this Dumbledore, whoever he was. "Perhaps we can care for him. We are his last family, Vern, and I think it wise to-"

"I won't have that…that…_freak_ in our household, fraternizing with our son!"

"We don't have to let that happen, Vernon, I'm sure we can keep him from doing…you know," Vernon had found out about what Lily was nearly a year after we had been married. He thought it unnatural and wrong, and I couldn't have agreed more. I was never sure that my sister could do magic, until she 'became of age' as she had always said. Lily had, at one time, shared her life with me, but that ended when she went to that school of hers, and forgot all about me. I forgot too, eventually.

"As long as we put an end to it, I'll go along with it, but not unless you swear to me-"

"I swear we'll end it," I promised.

Vernon finished getting ready for work as I finished feeding Dudley and Harry. When Vernon was gone, I finally let it all sink in. Lily was dead, cursed by some wizard. This was all _his_ fault, the boy she was so proud to bring home, the arrogant bastard that got her involved in the first place. It was _his_ fault that my sister was gone, and it was _his_ fault that I'd never get to see her again. I had visited Lily once, since I had been married. Vernon and I had gotten into a fight, and I didn't know where else to go. I snuck over to her place for a word. Vernon didn't like the fact that she was a witch, and even though I didn't either, she was still my sister. Lily was engaged to _him_ by then, and they were at her flat, watching a movie or something, I don't quite remember. _He_ left and I talked to Lily. She's the reason I didn't divorce Vernon, and James is the reason she's dead.

This was entirely _his_ fault, having a child that now had to be looked after and cared for, a child that would most likely be a wizard because of _him_. I had always thought that Lily would settle down with a nice boy from the country club we went to every summer, or from her primary school days, but she choose _him_. _He_ thought one time that it would be funny to turn me into a mouse. It worked, and if it hadn't been for Lily, I'm not sure _he_ would have turned me back, but she still married _him_. I hate _him_ for all he did, and for all he made me lose out on. My boy would never know Lily. We had always dreamed of what it would be like to both have children. I promised her I'd spoil my nieces and nephews.

I looked at the one she had left for me; a small boy, for his age, with messy black hair and a small scar. I wondered what he had done to himself to get that. Harry had my sister's eyes, but that was it. As I looked at him I became more and more angry about the fact that James seemed to dominate in the boy's looks. The hatred I felt toward James bubbled up again, and I found that I was giving the boy less and less of the food I had made for him, and giving his left over portion to Dudley. I would end the rest of what his father had left him, because I wouldn't let this boy do what _he_ did to Lily, I wouldn't let him get involved in that world of pain and suffering, especially since the only ones who suffer are the Muggles, like me. I will always hate James, and anyone that comes from _him_ and if he becomes like his father, I will never forgive _him _either!


	2. Snape's Grudge

Chapter 2- Snape's Grudge

I really was in love. It was the most thrilling sensation I had ever known. I suppose it was never meant to be, but then nothing in my life seems to go right. She helped me a lot. In my first years at school I had a speech impediment. I didn't talk much and when I did they laughed at me, Potter and his gang that is. Lily never stood for it. She couldn't ever handle anyone be made fun of.

Worse than not being able to talk properly, however, was the disaster that it created in Charms, Transfiguration, and any other class that would require me to talk. I hate recalling the countless times I was the only student not able to get any of the spells in those classes. Potter had fun with that one. "Can't you do anything?" he would ask, then imitate the words I was trying to say. Oh, they thought that was funny. The whole lot of them could have rotted in Hell for all I cared.

It wasn't until halfway through our second year that she approached me with the proposition. Lily told me she was having trouble in Potions, the one class I did well in. She was lying of course. Lily knew that I wouldn't just accept help, I have always been much too prideful for that. It wasn't like she was the best Potions student, but Lily wasn't bad off; not as bad as I was with Charms, that is. We made a deal to meet three times a week and tutor each other in the subjects we were having. I was nervous that the other Slytherins would find out that I was doing anything with Lily, but I had to do something. My father was brutal, and I knew I couldn't face him with another bad grade at the end of this year. Lily kept everything a secret though, as if knowing what it might do to me if my house peers discovered where I was going those nights.

Lily was amazing. She had started by getting Muggle information from a speech pathologist her father knew. We drilled with the words until the impediment was nearly gone. Potter still tried to tease me, but it was becoming much harder for him to find fault with the way I spoke at least.

Once my speaking skills had improved, Lily started teaching me the different spells. She was a master at Charms and she would patiently correct when I said a word improperly or made wand movements too brisk. There was one evening I remember so clearly. I was learning Wingardium Leviosa, the levitating charm. I was getting frustrated because it wasn't working. I was concentrating so hard on saying the words properly that I was botching the swish and flick motion. "Not quite, but you almost have it," Lily encouraged; she always encouraged. That time, though, she came behind me, placed her hand over mine, and made the motion with me…in a type of unison that still sends shivers down my spine to think about it.

That's when I first realized that I had feelings for her. It was the first time anyone had so willingly touched my hand, other than to hurt me. The last time anyone had showed so much kindness to be was when my mother was still in control of my father. He didn't let her show me kindness when he was drunk; he hadn't had a sober moment since before my first year. Then there were the students. They never knew my parents couldn't, or wouldn't, get me basic things like shampoo and new clothes. People like Potter, who have everything, don't understand that. They can't understand that there are people who can't have everything. I had always hoped that he would lose what he had one day, then see him try to mock me.

After a few more years of the tutoring sessions, I was up to par, if not ahead and I decided to get back at that slime that made fun of the way I talked for so long. It became an ongoing war between Potter and I, and I never won. He always did something one step better. I still blame him for that afternoon.

I had been planning to ask Lily out after O.W.L.s. I knew she had been stressed; I was going to wait until that bit was over, then ask if she'd like to do something a few times that summer. I was praying that all would go well, and that Lily would see it as a friendly suggestion; though I hoped for more later. Maybe after a few casual meetings, then I could ask her to go steady or something. She was still the only person who would touch me kindly. We had become close over the years, and though neither of us told the other people in our houses, we had a mutual understanding that there was a bond of sorts between us.

I was about to go back into the castle to find her when I saw Potter and his gang. I pulled out my wand and was rather confident that I could get him this time… but it backfired again. It was the worst experience I had to date. They hung me upside down, and let everyone stare at my underwear; the same underwear I had owned for the past six years due to the fact that my father wouldn't buy me anything. It wouldn't have been nearly as bad if Lily hadn't shown up. She was only trying to help.

She made them put me down and started yelling at Potter, but the anger inside me bubbled up and exploded like a volcano and those words…those awful hateful words that I had promised myself never to use slipped out. I called Lily, the only person who had treated me with dignity, a Mudblood. I still hate myself for saying it. I wished she had let Potter blast me into oblivion. It would have been better than seeing her later, tears in her eyes…tears I had caused. I tried to salvage something with her, but she said she couldn't be close friends with me after that. Not that I blame her. I blame myself, and Potter.

I noticed her stick up for me a few times after that, but it only hurt more when she did. It reminded me of what kind of person she was, and what kind of person I had lost in my life. It was only two years later that I saw her hand in hand with Potter, and a few years after that when I heard they were married. By that point I was already serving The Dark Lord. That's another way she helped me. When I heard about Lily again, it reminded me of what happened and that I was hurting those like Lily. I couldn't do it again. I talked to Dumbledore and he helped me out of the horrible situation I had gotten myself into.

It still hurt, though, knowing she was with James, but why shouldn't she be? Potter was always the type to have everything… including the love of my life.

* * *

A/N: Okay, I know it was supposed to be a one shot, but this idea has been playing in my head for weeks now, and it wouldn't go away, so I decided to run with it. Once again, this can be considered a companion to 'One More Chance'. If you haven't read that, please do. I also have several LIGHT-HEARTED pieces, if you don't think you can sit and read this kind of drama. I hope this did what I wanted it to… making you all see another side of things. PLEASE review =)

Sorry if any of you have already read this and got an Author Alert, but since wasn't sending them out yesterday when I posted, I thought I'd post again, so that people that didn't know about it can read it if they want.

Thank you:

Natalie: I'm glad you liked it! I appreciate the compliment of uniqueness, since that's what I thought it was. I think it's one of those things that you have to look at something from someone else's view. I think I'd be angry if some guy took my sister away from me and got her killed. Even though we know that it wasn't James's fault, I think a sister who doesn't know what's going on in the wizarding world might see that.

Aikenlicious: Yes, sad, but interesting…no? I like writing things that are a bit thought provoking, since most people have the same view on what some of these characters think and feel. I like to think what JK Rowling isn't telling us instead.

Hellen B. Potter: I feel bad for Harry no matter what, because no matter what Petunia's real feelings are on the subject, Harry's the one being neglected. It's hard to know any child might be being mistreated, but I thought about why she might treat him that way, and those were the thoughts I came up with.

Daisaigai697832: Thank you! I can't say how warm and fuzzy your review made me feel. I'm glad you understand where that one was coming from, in the sense of filling is the blanks as apposed to thinking I was changing what Rowling has stated, not that my version is the absolutely correct thought process in the whole deal, but you know…

Kait: Thank you for reviewing! I would love it if you'd read some of my other stuff and tell me what you think about it. =)

Mell Minamoto: Don't worry, no one can make me stop writing fan fics, no one, but writing block seems to have gotten in the way lately. I'll keep going as long as I have ideas.

Ossini: I have written a companion, but it isn't an AU fic, it's just my interpretation on what the characters are like. It's really hard to say, since we've seen very little of interaction between the people I've written concerning. Most of these so far have to do with Lily, but I think I'll be expanding into Harry's class… maybe Draco?

JamieBell: Great analysis on the previous chapter. I'll give you an A on that one, even if you can't use it in English. You had it right on the nose. The bitterness is everywhere. The interesting thing is that the meaning for 'petunia', like the flower as well as the name, is bitterness. I think it's fun to find things like that out. I hope all is well… you haven't been responding on messenger and I'm not sure why…

Sugarsprite: I'm glad you like the idea, I'll be trying to keep up with more and make them all just as thought provoking.


	3. The Agony of Argus

Disclaimer: I don't own these characters....never have....never will!

Chapter 3- The Agony of Argus

Marisa Norris was my girlfriend. I couldn't hold my own in any subject, but she was wonderful. Top of her class, she was, and she was always trying to help me. I used to always tell her it was hopeless, but Marisa would just wave my statement away. "Pish-posh," she would always say. I loved her little quirks and phrases more than anything.

My family was always ashamed of me, even when I was young. "Couldn't magic himself away from a Manticore," Mum used to tell people. "Don't think he'll even get a letter, unlike our little princess."

I couldn't stand the way they would say 'our little princess'. My sister was five years older than me, and did everything perfectly; she would always get things right on the first try. "Let me help you," Kate, my sister, would say when I was in my third year and she had graduated. I hated her for that more than anything…no I didn't hate her, I hated myself, because every time Kate would help, I only did worse.

Marisa, though, she was an angel.

"Who cares if you can do it or not," Marisa would say which eased my mind, "You're better than twenty wizards who can do it right."

It would lift my spirits high enough to keep trying whatever it was she was teaching me, even though it never worked. One time, when Marisa was teaching me _Lumos__,_ a glimmer started coming out of the tip of my wand, even though it extinguished quickly. _I'm not a Squib_, I thought as I smiled. Marisa came over and kissed me on the cheek. That was the first time that had happened, and we were in our second year. I remember blushing furiously and trying _Lumos_ again, though none of the times after that worked.

I asked Marisa to the first Hogsmeade visit in our fourth year. I didn't know how to get the words out, so flustered by how pretty she was with brown hair and natural highlights throughout it. Most of the people in our class didn't like her eyes. They were red because of a pigmentation disorder Marisa had as a child. I loved them, though, they had a sparkle in them that never faded, and they seemed encouraging. "I was, uh, won- uh, wonder-," I remember stuttering out.

"Did you want to go to Hogsmeade together?" Marisa asked me.

I looked her straight in her smiling red eyes, "y-yeah. How di- did you know?"

"I saw it in your eyes," Marisa said before going back to her book.

We went that Saturday, and many other Hogsmeade visits throughout the next few years.

I wanted to ask her to marry me. I knew it was silly of me to want that when I was only a fifteen year old teenage boy, but I knew we were soul mates, meant to be together forever. My favorite thing about her was the games she would come up with me. "Take all the vowels out of your name and see what it says," she said one afternoon when we were sitting together underneath an oak tree near the lake.

"Uh, R-G-S," I said, after thinking for a bit.

"Rugs…or rags. Maybe it stands for Regular Genius Stud," Marisa said, leaning over and kissing my cheek like she often did.

The corners of my lips turned up into a smile. "What about yours?"

"M-R-S," Marisa said taking only half the time. She made the perfect Ravenclaw for that reason. Always knew things right away. After thinking of those initials she looked toward me. "Hey, Mrs. Norris," Marisa laughed, and it was impossible for me to do otherwise when her laugh was so infectious.

It was two weeks before O.W.L.s that it all happened. I had prepared myself for anything that would come up in the written part of the exam, but I still couldn't do even the simplest of spells. "You can do this," she said. "I bet you'll do just fine if we put in some extra practice time.

I agreed to meet her in an empty classroom. "I-I think I can do this," I told myself.

"Of course you can," Marisa said with confidence.

"Okay, here it goes," we were practicing Transfiguration, and I had a small stone in front of me. I tapped it twice and concentrated hard on what I was doing. I closed my eyes as my wand began to shake slightly. My other hand came to help support the first in the grip, when suddenly it stopped. I kept my eyes closed, knowing I had failed again, when Marisa squealed with delight.

"You did it!" she shrieked.

I opened only one eye and saw a little mouse crawling around on the table. I opened both then, blinked, and rubbed my eyes, hoping I wasn't just seeing things, but sure enough, there was a mouse on the table, crawling around as if it had always been a mouse, instead of a rock. "I did it… I really did it," I couldn't believe it. Mum would be so happy.

"Yes you did," Marisa said, then started to do a little jig around the table before wrapping her arms around me and kissing me. "Now, let's try one that'll be a bit more difficult."

Marisa went to the other side of the table while I took a deep breath. She placed a larger rock onto the table top and said, "A cat this time."

"Are you sure?" I asked nervously.

"Sure," she said confidently. "Just like before, concentrate on what you're doing and hold on tight."

I took another deep breath before tapping on this rock twice and thinking of a fluffy little creature. When the wand started to shake I went through the same motions as before: closing my eyes tightly and gripping the wand with both hands. When it ended this time, though, there was no squeal of success; just a lone 'meow'. I opened my eyes, and the rock was still where it had been placed, but Marisa was no longer there. _What have I done?_ I wondered as I looked beneath the table to find a cat with long brown fur, natural highlights running through, and the eyes…my darling's eyes. I didn't know what to do. I sunk to my knees and started to cry, thinking of how much she would hate me, but instead she came over and rubbed up against me, purring. I ran my fingers through her fur and took her into my arms, rushing toward the Transfigurations Professor's office.

"You're the only one who can change her back," Dumbledore told me.

I told him that I had never done that before, but he encouraged me to try anyway. I did, and it didn't work. I've tried many more times since then, but still I've had no success. Dumbledore explained it to her Grandmother, since Marisa's parents had died when she was young. Marisa's grandmother never did forgive me, but when she passed on, she left me her 'cat' to care for anyway. I swore off magic from that day, and dropped school, though Dippet convinced me to stay as the caretaker of Hogwarts.

When I first started, kids would throw hexes at me, knowing I couldn't do anything about it. They would make the most tremendous messes in my hallways, and I had to clean it all the Muggle way, now being a full-fledged Squib. I don't trust any of the students, because they all think they're better than me. I was so excited to find out about Kwikspell, since it might have been a way for me to get back my Marisa. Dumbledore had told me to rename the cat, for the sake of anyone to find out. I remembered that afternoon of removing vowels from words and decided it would be perfect, since that really was her name.

It's taken me a while, but I've been able to learn to communicate with Marisa again. It's always there… in her eyes.

* * *

A/N: Whoa, okay, that one was a little harder than the others, but I liked the idea of it. I came up with this theory when I was reading in OotP and came to the part where Harry writes to Sirius about something. He's making his way to the owlery when he runs into Mrs. Norris who runs off, as if to tell on Harry. Filch comes in just after Harry sends the letter accusing him of making a Dung Bomb order, saying someone had told him. Harry asks who told him that, and Filch fumbles for a bit before changing the subject back to getting Harry in trouble.

Somehow he obviously communicates with Mrs. Norris, so this was just one theory. That and it would explain his extreme bitterness toward the students. These are, of course, not what Rowling says is the case, but she hasn't said anything so I think I'll speculate while I can.

Please Review!!!

Thank you:

Daisaigai697832: I'm glad you're enjoying this! I'll keep this one open to as many characters and scenarios that I can think of, so I make no promises on the length. I'm trying right now to think of other people I could do a chapter on, but again no guarantees when I'll think of a good one to throw in here.

Kikyous Spirit: That makes me smile that you don't think they're OOC, especially since these are all based on why I think Rowlings version of the characters might act the way they do. I don't think I'll write any that have to do with scenarios of the future (meaning from things like what will happen with books 6 and 7) but I'll try to think of more. I feel really bad for Snape in the second chapter, and I think that's kind of my point of doing this, is for people to see things in another light that they wouldn't have seen it in before, but not to make it way unrealistic, if you know what I mean.

JamieBell: As always, thank you for your review, and you had the analysis right on the nose. I love seeing your name on any review, and unless I have a purpose, I generally won't post on something until I see your review (knowing how dependable you are with that). I think Snape has his own problems that the Marauders just enhanced, which made them the general direction that his anger flowed to. Everyone is looking for someone to blame, and I think it was easy to blame them because they did pick on him.

I like the fact that Lily had that strong of an impact too, because you really never know who you're helping just with a smile or a kind comment. There's this story about this boy who, around Christmas time, was depressed because he was picked on at school, and he didn't have any friends and he just hated life all together. He decided that when his parents were at this Christmas Party a week prior to the holiday he was going to jump off the local bridge. He had written a note and was taking it to place it in the mailbox and found that one of the articles in there was addressed to him. Out of curiosity he opened it and it was a nice card from a girl who said she'd love to get to know him better and saying that she was sorry she hadn't been able to do so earlier. He changed his mind, taking the mail back into the house and waiting for his parents to come home. Do you know who that person was? None other than Charles Shultz, creator of the Peanut gang and Charlie Brown himself. Amazing what one person can do huh? Just remember that the next time you're walking down the hallway of your school.

Okay, sorry I rambled for so long, hope you liked this chapter!

Angel718: Thank you for reviewing, and I hope you enjoy this one too!

Hermione30: Thank you for Beta reading for me! You rock! Anyone who hasn't already done so already check out some of her work. She's got a great style, and I'm sure many of you would enjoy her latest, Saved by the Bell. Very entertaining and always well written!


	4. Madam Rosmerta

Chapter 4- Madam Rosmerta

Town gossip? Me? That's what most people would label me, but I don't think they have the same definition of gossip. I know a lot that goes on around Hogsmeade, but it's a rarity that I actually tell anyone what I hear, and it is always on a need-to-know basis. I'm more the secret-keeping type, that's why I know so much.

Minerva is always telling me the going-ons of the school as well. I knew about Rubeus being half-giant long before it was spread by that awful Skeeter woman. Now there's a gossip for you. Rita was always spreading rumors based on some dumb piece of information at school. I remember when she'd come into the Three Broomsticks and hide herself in a corner. She once tried to write an editorial in the school paper entitled 'Rosemerta: _Sweet or Sinister?_'. It was based on the idea that I had come from a long line of banshees. Absolutely ludicrous.

I think she had overheard Phil, the cook at the time, say something about my temper. He had been discussing with Professor Sinistra about a few nights prior when I decked a guy for trying to pinch my arse, excuse my French. That's another common misconception, that I want attention from the male population just because I put on a bit of makeup and look nice when I wait on people.

Of all the things I heard throughout the years, however, the most logical was when I learned that Remus Lupin was a werewolf. Werewolves have sweet personalities, despite what most people think. I kept that secret when he was a student, and when he started working at the school. I had been walking past the Shrieking Shack, that's what Brian (the town's biggest drunk), had deemed it, when I heard a familiar voice. Remus's friends and him were always so much fun to have at the pub, daring one another to flirt with me. I think I shocked the little blond boy, Peter, one day when I flirted back.

It wasn't long after I heard Remus talking to himself that I heard howls in the night. I looked up into the sky and saw the bright moon shining down and it all came together. The prior month's visit to Hogsmeade had been just days after a full moon and Remus didn't look too well, though he insisted he would be fine.

Every so often I would go just before full moon and leave a bottle of butterbeer, after enchanting it to stay warm, or a book to keep his mind off of things for just a bit longer than usual. That's what always worked with Jeff.

Jeff wasn't like most guys, I could tell that right off. He had come into the pub I was working at during that time, Grundles, with a bunch of friends. It was in a small town and I had just moved there to take care of my ill aunt, but I worked on the side. Most of the boys hooted and hollered-- in a joking manner of course-- but I was used to it. What caught my attention, though, were his kind comments and polite requests.

At that time in my life, I enjoyed singing and did so at the pub for a little bit every night. We had the WWN, but my boss wanted me to give some live entertainment for those that came. I wrote a few of my own songs from time to time, and I sang one of them that night. It was called 'Lucky for Me'; just a silly little ballad.

When I finished singing it, I went back to wipe down the bar and Jeff came over to me. "I think you're better than Celestina Warbeck," he told me. Celestina had just started her career then and everyone was talking about how she was the next big star.

"Thanks," I blushed, and I never blushed. That was because most things guys said to a girl in my line of work were just used to pick them up.

"Would you care to dance?" Jeff asked, holding his hand out to me. My boss urged me to do so. He had it out for me and Jeff from the start.

It only took a few months of dating before I started to figure out what Jeff was. "Is there something you want to tell me?" I asked him after one full moon.

Jeff went paler in the face than he already was a gulped. "I...I don't know how to tell you this," he said. He went on to explain to me about how and when he was bitten, and he started apologizing for not telling me sooner. I told him it wasn't that big a deal, and as long as he was the same Jeff that I met, I would love him just the same.

I think that was the convincing factor for Jeff. He proposed a week after that. My mum thought I was plumb crazy to be marrying someone I had known less than a year. "It'll happen either way, Mum," I told her when she scoffed at me. I knew I would win her over when I introduced her to Jeff, and I did.

I suppose it wasn't meant to be, though. Gossip is a terrible thing. One of his so-called-_friends_ had noticed the same pattern of disappearance that I had, but he wasn't nearly as accepting. Paul started to distance himself, but I didn't notice until it was too late. He was a bit thick, not knowing sooner. Especially since Jeff and Paul had been friends for just over two years. Paul was supposed to be his best man. He went along with it for quite some time, helping with wedding plans, talking about how drunk he was going to get Jeff at the bachelor party.

A silver bullet was all it took. One silver bullet, but that wasn't enough for that village of idiots. I tried to stop them, begged them to, but they wouldn't listen to me. Paul had found out where Jeff went to every month and told them. His best friend sold him out. It still makes me sick to think about it. More than sick, my heart is still broken over loosing Jeff.

I told Mum that he was murdered, which was true, but the Ministry wouldn't do anything about it. Nothing, just because he was a werewolf.

I couldn't live there anymore, there were just too many memories there. That's how I ended up at the Three Broomsticks, and that's why I refuse to gossip.

Remus reminds me a bit of my Jeff. One night he and Sirius had come just as I was getting ready to close for the night, and I decided to play a bit. I never sing for costumers anymore, and I didn't at that time either, but that night I played 'Lucky for Me' once again. "You're good Madam Rosmerta, you should go professional."

I smiled slightly, remembering that first night I met Jeff.

No matter what people say, I'm not a gossip. I don't like to hurt others, and that's all it does.

* * *

A/N: Sorry I posted another one so quickly but this idea jumped into my head, and it wouldn't leave. This is probably the first one I've written one on a character that people actually like. Please review and tell me what you're thinking.

OK, reposting this one AGAIN, because people seem to be having trouble accessing it. Please read and Review!!!

Thank you:

JamieBell: I'm sorry to do this to you, but it is now my goal to put you in tears....jk. Thank you for that long indecisive feel, and just to let you know Filch is probably just exaggerating on how sweet she is, or she's not as sweet to other people, or she's angry that the students treat him so poorly. That's your explanation. Thanks, as always and I hope you like this chapter.

Hermione30: Thank you for Beta reading all of this and helping me out!


	5. Tom's Torment

A/N: Takes place just after Tom's killed his father and grandparents… oh yeah, and I don't own the characters!

Chapter 5- Tom's Torment

He was just sitting there having dinner. Not a care in the world, not a worry about where he was going to stay, not a concern of where his food would come from, or who would take care of him; such a large house. That's where I should have grown-up, instead of in the dingy piece of dung place they called an orphanage. I wasn't an orphan! My father was still alive, the bastard. Hm, that's funny, because I'm really the bastard. I swear I'll never act like him, though. Damn Muggle.

My mum thought she was in love. Love is too much of a distraction. I will never let love get in my way, though. Never. Mysterious causes, they said, look of fright. They should be frightened of me, everyone should. Someday everyone will fear my name, but it won't be his name. No way I'll keep that in me. I'm purging myself of him in any way possible, and if that means he should be dead, then so be it.

His parents weren't any better. I spent a week in the town first, and heard all the things that were said about them. People called them stuck-up, rude, and rich snobs. Maybe they were all just jealous, but something told me otherwise. There was a brand new car just outside the house, and its plates read his name on the car. I blasted the damn thing to pieces. He thought it was a Muggle thing called a bomb, but it was me. That was two days before I finished my goal there.

I was careful that no one saw my face during that week before, made sure no one took particular notice of me. "Good to see you, Dad," I said when I interrupted their dinner.

His parents asked him what I was talking about, but he didn't respond to them, just demanded me to leave. I told him I would not, since I was the rightful heir to their things. His father tried to figure out what was going on. He hadn't even told his parents that he had a son. I told them, and his mother was in shock. I looked enough like him, though I was lucky enough to pick up most of my traits from the wizarding side.

I pulled out my wand, which confused them even more. I told them to sit, and they did so. My grandparents were terrified…it was quite satisfying. It was the first time I had used my invention on a human. _Avada Kedavra_, what a simple way to get people out of the way. It's too bad I didn't torture them first, now that I look back on it. They would have deserved it.

Muggles are the worst sort of people you can find. They're closed minded and cruel. Have you ever heard about the French Revolution? How about slave trade, where Africans were taken from their homes and families to be sold as laborers. The same thing has happened in several other countries. That's not to mention Witch hunts and the prejudices against the Wizarding world.

He didn't really love her, not after he found out she was a witch. He left her all alone after she told him, and worse than that he had known my mum's family had disowned her. She should have found a pure blood, but I don't blame her. Like I said before, love just got in her way.

Now it's done… they're dead. I wish I could have done more to hurt them, more to make them suffer. Suffer the way I've suffered, but now it's too late. I let down Salazar once, and I won't make that mistake again. Someday I'll finish the work at Hogwarts, but for now, I'll work on a larger scale. I have my friends, if that's what you would like to call them. First, I need to find a way to make this work more fun.

I'll be the most feared wizard in the world someday soon, and my mother's death will be avenged.

I will be Lord Voldermort.

* * *

A/N: That one was rather short, but it was a bit more difficult to put myself in this mindset. The others I could kind of imagine how they felt, but this one was definitely different. I might be writing an even more difficult one next…we'll see. If I do write the one I think no one can truly feel sorry for that one, seeing as I can't myself.

Please Review!

Thank you:

libyanauthor: I'm glad you like this, and I hope I can keep up to your standard, as I hope to have some brilliant (me? brilliant? right...) brainstorms on other characters in which to play with here.

Snape's Gurl: I don't think James is as much of a jerk as he is a teenage boy who feels he needs to be big bad and show off to all of his friends. Petunia, in my opinion, didn't necessarily have any reason to hate him, as we do not know his reasons for transforming her into mouse, though he probably shouldn't have. I'll agree, however, that he was rather harsh to Snape when he shouldn't have been. Thank you for your review and I hope you like whatever I add to this!

angel718: Can you get the 4th chapter now? I reposted in hopes that everyone would be able to get to it.

Hermione30: A lot of people could hurt Remus, that is agreed, but I think he's better off with the people he's around. I thought I'd bring a whole new side to Madam Rosmerta, and it apparently worked. Thank you for being my Beta reader, and I'm sorry that I tend to be impatient!

Daisaigai697832: I'll try to keep it up, but ideas are running thin here. I have one more idea for now, and I think that one will make people more angry than sad, at least I hope they'll be angry.

Mell Minamoto: This is a bit different than your idea with Voldermort, but I did it. I was actually playing with this idea when one of my roommates mentioned that Boheimian Rapsody (by Queen) was so a Tom Riddle song (just after killing his dad and grandparents).

JamieBell: Gossip is talking behind people's backs for no purpose. Most of what you see McGonagall telling Rosmerta is informative, so that she knows what's going on, but you notice she doesn't say anything but nice comments about the Marauders, even if later she believes other things due to McGonagall's info. It's good to know I have a friend out there =)

Duj: It was something that I had come up with first between my Harry Potter buddies, and it's unusual for me to have come up with the theory there, but it doesn't surprize me that other people have thought of it, and I'm not too disappointed in the fact that there are others out there who have claimed that theory already, I just wanted to write something interesting, which I think I accomplished (at least I hope I did). Thanks for your review, and I hope you keep reading!

anna taure: I'm glad you enjoy reading it, and I'm going to try to have more ideas on this, because I like making people think about these characters in a different way!


	6. A Molly Monologue

Chapter 6- A Molly Monologue

I suppose I should be over it by now, I mean it has been nearly two decades. They were my brothers, though. Fabian and Gideon were great guys. Really annoying at times, but all big brothers are supposed to be right? They were great uncles too, and I only wish that Fred and George had gotten to know them. Four peas in a pod, they would have been.

They used to come over and spoil Bill and Charlie. I had call our mum when they made a mess of my house letting the boys play with their wand. My boys think I'm bad, but I will never compare to my own mum. Fabian and Gideon tread lightly in my house from then on, though they still came over for food since mum had taken to making them prepare and clean up after themselves. Funny, really, how you never really appreciate those times until it's too late.

They had come over and told Arthur and I about the Order, when it was first formed. Told us we could help a lot, and that they needed every person they could to defeat You-Know-Who. Arthur had just been hired with the Ministry, and I told my brothers that we had to be careful about finding loyalties outside of that for the time being. The truth was that I was terrified. I had three little boys at the time; Bill, Charlie, and Percy, who was just starting to learn how to walk. I had heard about You-Know-Who going after whole families, and some of them were mentioned as being in the Order by Fabian and Gideon.

Sorry, I don't mean to get so emotional wipes tear… but I just wonder if they would still be here had I joined, had there been just a few more people, would it have made a difference?

I had never met Lily and James Potter, and many people hadn't heard who they were until they were murdered. It wasn't until ten years, or so, later that the guilt for the Potters rushed through me. "Mum, Harry never gets anything for Christmas," Ron had written. Never… a child who had never had a descent Christmas. By no means have we had elaborate Christmas gifts or celebrations for our children, but I made sure my children cherished those times growing up. Harry's parents were gone, though. I took special care with a sweater for him that year. I had Arthur send Ron a few extra sickles so he could get Harry something special as well.

If we had joined would Harry have had Christmas for all those years?

Harry's become a part of our lives and family, but then what about Neville? I only found out about his situation one night when Kingsley was talking with Moody in the kitchen at Grimauld Place. He never really knew his parents, but they've been around all this time. I remember being there when my own parents grew older and passed away, and I don't think anyone should have to do that, especially as a young child. Perhaps what he saw with his parents scared the magic out of him in a way. Maybe it was the pressure of living up to his father, who had been top Auror, was too much for him to handle at first.

I remember Alice fairly well. I was in my sixth year when she came in. I was a Prefect and got to help direct the group of first years make it back to the common room. Alice had a small kitten, one that kept getting away from her and that I finally had to get back with a summoning charm. She was a sweet girl, always including the least likely of people. Didn't like anyone to feel left out or anything of the sorts. I don't know how she met Frank, and I didn't really get to meet him myself, not that I remember at least. Arthur mentioned once that he had to talk to Frank about his constant attempts to go up the girl's staircase.

Neville's grandmother is a good woman, and I have met her on a few small occasions, but I don't think she was ready to start raising another child after dealing with what can basically be considered a loss. She still talks fondly of her son, and I don't think Neville feels very adequate because of that. Ron told me he's been catching on and doing better lately, but I don't think the way he has to see his parents helps any.

Would Neville have had such a hard time with things if Arthur and I had answered the call for help?

Perhaps I was being silly with the Boggart, but maybe not. We've answered the call this time, and we know what we're risking. "They're no hiding from them," Arthur told me when I considered backing out and helping in a lesser way. He's right. Look what happened to Ginny, my baby girl. I don't know what I would have done had You-Know-Who succeeded that year. What if she were hurt or…or…

Would I have been able to prevent Ginny's pain that year if I had joined?

What about Percy? The rest of us are protected with the Order, but he still hasn't come home. I pray everyday for him to be safe and to pay attention to what's going on around him. What if that's not enough though? Could I have taught him better? Or maybe I didn't approach the situation correctly.

Maybe if I had joined he would understand what the Order is trying to do, and how things were going to be handled.

I've tried hard not to worry, but what if something happens to Arthur and I? I know Dumbledore has said they'll be taken care of, but who can they turn to the way they do with me? I know that they don't discuss everything with me, but I'm their mother, and who can give them the love I would. I don't think anyone could give them the same kind of hug, or nurse them the same way I would when they're sick. I know Bill and Charlie wouldn't let them starve or go without, but what about teaching Ginny to cook like she's been asking? Or teaching Ron how to dance? He asked me a few weeks ago and was blushing in front of me, and I know he would be too embarrassed to ask his brothers for that.

I found out about my pregnancy with Fred and George a month before Fabian and Gideon were killed. It took five Death Eaters, I heard, five. Every time I see Fred and George it makes me wonder what they'll have to do. They never understood that my nagging was concern for what they would have to face. If they had only worked more on Counter Jinxes and Defense spells then on their silly fake wands and Skiving Snackboxes. They thought I didn't think a business was proper, but it wasn't that. It wasn't that at all. A different time and situation I might have encouraged it a bit, or at least not been so forceful with the idea of stopping it.

They were great brothers, Fabian and Gideon; and I wish I would have helped, because then maybe they would still be here today.

* * *

A/N: Okay, drying my eyes! These just get harder to write! (well the Tom one wasn't too difficult, but that's because I wasn't trying to make people feel sad, only to make them look from another angle…) This one's hard because she resents herself (at least in this version) and I just picture her saying all of this and sobbing the entire way through (which I tried to give hint to happening by showing when she starts to cry, so if you didn't get that, now you do). If you like this PLEASE REVIEW! And tell other people about it as well =) Thank you!

Thanks:

Mell Minamoto: I like your ideas, but they're just too common for what I'm trying to go from here, and I hope that doesn't offend you, though I like the Sirius idea, and might use it, but still there are a lot out there that do the same thing. I'm really trying to go for characters that you read between the lines with, a little flatter in development. I know I'm weird but that's just how I like to work with these: characters that have just enough development that I can have fun changing things to being how I see them… if that makes sense. I did that in English my Sophmore year in HS. We had just finished Shakespeare's Julius Caesar and the teacher wanted us to do a diary on any one of the characters big or small. Most people did Caesar or Mark Antony or any one of the big characters, and I chose to do Calpurnia (Caesar's wife) because she has a total of like 3 lines. Every time I see her (even years later) my teacher mentions that she remembers that project because no one ever does that character.

Angel718: Would you like me to send it to you via e-mail or does it not really phase you either way? That one definitely wasn't supposed to endear Tom by ANY means. I might be writing one with Peter, and it'll be the same deal… not to make you feel sorry for him, just because it's interesting to see it from another view.

Daisaigai697832: I like the DADA teacher idea, and I might have to use it =) I guess I always assumed that Voldermort created the unforgivables, so I'm sort of surprised that people found that bit interesting, but I guess it never does say who came up with them, so what do I know right? Thanks for reviewing and I hope you like this chapter.

JamieBell: Thank you! I'm glad you figured out who I was talking about. Hope you like this chapter. I'm so flattered that you think this is the best…. Or is that a bad thing…. Jk thanks for always reviewing!


	7. Peter's Problem

A/N: This one takes place just after Voldemort's first defeat. I know it's rather… scattered, but just go with it. Think of it as a monologue.

Chapter 7- Peter's Problems

What am I to do? What am I to do? No where to go, he knows. He knows and there's no one to protect me. Stupid! Stupid! Sirius will be after me, and I am all alone… all alone. Remus could protect me! Yes! That's it.

No, he wouldn't do that. No! No! No! No where to go. No where to hide. I need a place… need a place.

My master! Oh my master is gone! Oh, what am I to do?

The boy! They said it was the boy! How did a boy manage that? Maybe the boy can be my protection, oh sweet little Harry. But they took him away… took him away to the Muggles. Bad little boy abandoning me! Oh my master would be so angry at the boy. He would lash someone, he would. Cruciatus! Ha ha ha… but he isn't here… no no he isn't and I'm doomed! I'm doomed!

Maybe… maybe if they can't find me, yes! If they can't find me they can't catch me ah-ha! That bastard Black, denying his family for the Muggle-born Evans. I bet he liked her, I bet he did. Everyone liked Evans. Soft hair, green eyes… she looked over me. I'll bet she's sorry now, I bet she is. Sorry that she didn't see me there.

Oh… oh… Lily… she's dead… they said she's dead. Oh dear sweet Lily, gone from this world. Oh that boy doesn't have his mum. Oh dear sweet Harry, no longer having his mum. Or dad. Oh James! My dear friend, what have I done? Why? Why are you gone? You can't protect me from Sirius! Oh come and protect me! Protect me someone!

My mum… she'll be home soon, won't she? What'll she think, oh, what'll she think?

I have to leave! I must pack up and leave! Where will I go? I can't work anywhere, my name will be scarred! Damn Sirius! Damn him! Walking around with his perfect hair and perfect personality. Everyone loved him. Loved him, they did, they loved him. No one liked me. Not until they needed me to be the secret keeper. What a perfect job that was. Allow me to introduce you to my friend You-Know-Who. Ha ha ha. Oh what I would have given to see their faces. The ultimate practical joke!

They liked jokes. They liked to play them on me too. Playing jokes on poor pathetic Pettigrew who'd laugh and take it. I didn't have to take it anymore, but now… now I'm undone!

Worthless! A peon! No… no, don't say that, don't say that. Someone will care for me. Someone out there will take care, yes, I just have to find them. Think. Think. Someone out there must love a worthless rat like me! A rat! Kids like rats!

No! No! No! Kids kill rats. They mistreat them, the way they mistreated me. Marauders! Causing more trouble with each other than with anyone else. Always getting me involved, pinning me as the one who did it. Let Peter take the blame, he won't mind. Yeah, I didn't mind. I would just make up for it. And I did, ha ha ha.

But he took Lily too! Damn you Vol—He-who-must-not-be-named! You promised you wouldn't touch her! You promised! And now you've left me to take the blame. Oh, what am I to do? What am I to do with myself? Who will protect me? Lily would have protected me! She never did like when Sirius got violent. Oh Lily, why can't you protect me now why?

Oh… I must leave, I must leave and find Sirius. He was a good friend, a good friend. Oh Sirius don't hurt me, please.

He's hurt me before, he has, why would now be any different. He'd kill me, I know he would. He comes from dark magic, dark magic I tell you. He wouldn't think twice before casting a curse! Avada Kedavera! Then poor Peter Pettigrew would be gone, known for a no good Son of a Squib, left in the street for the rats to eat there own!

Rats! I can live the rats! They'll take care of me! They'll take good care of me, since I'd be one of them. Oh thank you James for helping me learn! Thank you for helping me! You've saved me without even knowing it.

Dumbledore doesn't know… he doesn't know I was secret keeper. Ha ha ha! Yes! I can see it now! Sirius Black in Azkaban where he belongs! Yes! Oh, I must be careful. Tedious. I can do it. I can save myself. No need of Marauders or Master!

Oh, my master, I didn't mean that! I didn't mean it, oh how I miss you. Without you, though, I will live on. Survive. Yes. Ha ha ha.

* * *

A/N: Wow… that was even harder to write than I imagined. Sorry it was so short. Must say my mind is in a very weird place now. I see Peter as indecisive and someone nutters, so I hope you still like this version of his resentment. I didn't see him resenting any one person, which is what makes it so weird. And, just in case you're wondering, the deal I referred to is my belief to why Voldemort was going to let Lily live, and was just trying to get her out of the way.

Anyway, please review… I think I have an idea for a more main character, but we'll see.

Thank you:

Hydraspit: Hey there… were you able to finish the other 5 chapters to this point? If not, I'd love to hear what else you have to say on those chapters!

Fast-Talking Johnny: Okay, so much to answer so little room. Yes, Molly dwells a bit on it when she shouldn't, but I think it's more that I showed her alone. I'm sure she doesn't think on it all the time. With the Tom thing, I think you're right, he didn't really have a chance to love his mother because he was too young to even really know her, but it was a good way to have an excuse to kill his father, who he truly hated. Thanks for saying so on the Argus chapter… It was something I thought of and ran by my roommate at the time, thinking it would be interesting. She thought so too.

JamieBell: Sorry it's taking me so long on what seems to be your favorite fanfic of mine. Thank you for reviewing and giving me your thoughts.

Pullmanlover: Thank you for reviewing, and thank you for the compliment! I think that's what I try and pull off here: characters no one really considers or if they do, in a manner they wouldn't think of them.

Long-tall-texan: Oh thank you! I hope you get to read this chapter, and I appreciate your review!

Daisaigai Katie: I guess when I found out they were related that I kind of made the assumption that they were siblings. Just what I was thinking, but I could be wrong, of course.

Libyanauthor: Thank you. I'm sure you could come up with something as, if not more, creative than this. It's just my random thinkings.

Mell Minamoto: Good suggestion. I have been thinking on using Peter for quite a while, but had to get myself into a completely crazy mindset to do so. Hence I've had about 20 peanut butter kisses from Halloween and I'm finally getting back to this fic!

Angel718: Here you go… request granted!


	8. Dean's Discovery

A/N: This is by far to be the most intricate Resentment chapter. It is written in Soliloquy/Monologue form (with stage directions initalics for Ginny and Dean). This one is a 'what-if' form taking inspiration from the idea of Rowling giving the information on her website involving Dean's real past. This takes place in the beginning of his 6th year (Ginny's 5th; and they're still dating here…) under the assumption that he's found out as Rowling intend him to do originally. Without any further ado… here's the next chapter.

Chapter 8- Dean's Discovery

_Sixth year boys dormitory is empty and silent. The window near one bed is open and a cool breeze flows in, only shown by slightly moving drapes. Suddenly Dean enters; throwing the door open and slamming it shut with an equal amount of vigor._ _He's whispering to himself._ They killed him…. They… they murdered him… _Soon there is a pounding at the door and Ginny's voice can be heard from outside, begging Dean to let her in._ THEY KILLED HIM!

_Dean leans up against the window sill, pounds his hands on the stone and turns around sinking to the ground as Ginny finally enters, her wand in hand._ I'm sorry… I ruined our night. _Dean gives a forced smile that fades quickly as he looks back down._ They killed him. _Ginny kneels down in front of Dean, her hands on his, but doesn't say a word. She just listens with a concerned expression._ I wonder if they knew… I wonder if they cared. Mum was left… I was left…. They killed him! They probably didn't give it a second thought.

Why? I mean why would they? Why him? What did he do? They obviously didn't need a reason, I guess… they killed others… but why? Why Ginny? I never even knew him. Mum thought he'd abandoned us. Mum was broken… they broke her! They didn't care! They didn't care what kind of person he was!

_Dean stands and starts to pace as Ginny continues to kneel and look up at him._ We should have never been… we shouldn't have spied. Why didn't McGonagall tell me before? Why didn't she let me know? Don't I have the right to know? I'm his son! I was his only son, no thanks to those bloody God-forsaken bastards! Why couldn't I know? I'm sixteen! Did they think I couldn't handle it? I'M SIXTEEN FOR MERLIN SAKE! I'm not five. All these years I've been able to handle the idea of my father leaving my mum and I…. why not the fact that he couldn't come back even if he wanted to?! Why not?!

We should have never been in the teacher's lounge. We should have never cared about what they were telling Harry. Who gives a sickle about him anyhow? _Dean stops and shakes his head_. I didn't mean that… I didn't… I'm sorry Ginny, I know he's your brother's friend, but how is it that he gets to be in on every damn thing that goes on around here and I've been left out in the dark for the last sixteen years of my life?!

Why? _Dean stops and looks pensively out the window._ Mum never hid any of it from me. She used to show me pictures of him. Big guy. Would have been really good at football, I'm sure. I used to pretend that he got some big contract going pro and that's why…. That's why he didn't come home. Then sometimes I thought that maybe he didn't want me. In the pictures him and Mum seemed so happy. I thought, sometimes, he looked the same at me. But then I'd remind myself how hard kids can be. Mum and Dad—my step dad—have small kids still… they're loud… and don't help out. I thought that's why he left. I was certain of it. He didn't want me.

I wonder if Mum knew. I wonder if she just never told me the truth. No… no, if she knew she wouldn't have said he left. Maybe another lie, but no. I used to cry to her… tell her I'd be better so that Dad—my step dad—wouldn't leave too. Every time I got in trouble. She would hug me and tell me that wasn't it. She hated to see me cry, I could tell. No, she would have told me.

_Dean sits on his bed. Ginny slowly stands and goes to sit next to Dean, scratching his back lightly, and looking down at him as he places his face in his hands. Dean continues with a softened tone._ I can't believe it. It seems so surreal; like I'm dreaming. Everything I knew was wrong. I'm not Muggle-born, you know. Not if he was a wizard. Then again, neither is Harry… at least he knew about his parents when he came. Do you know how many time's I've been called a Mudblood? Not that I care. It would have been nice to know, though; to be able to tell Malfoy he was full of it. To tell him I had someone just as capable as his own dad.

I wonder if Malfoy was involved. _Dean scoffs_ Probably was. Why wouldn't he have been? _Dean stands determined._ I can tell you one thing. I'm not just going to sit here and do nothing. I'm not just going to be another drone of a student walking from class to class thinking You-Know-Who doesn't have anything to do with me. Not anymore. _Looking at Ginny in the eyes._ I'm in.

* * *

A/N: Okay, there's my idea of Dean's reaction. The 'I'm in' statement is more of a determined helping of Harry and everything that's been going on with Voldermort. I think it was the only way to really end it all. I have in my head the idea of him overhearing the information and such and how they ended up in the teacher's lounge when it was being discussed, and I'm now considering writting a whole story from Dean's POV... I don't know if I'm that talented. It was suprisingly difficult for me to get into his mindset. If you liked this... please review! Let me know what I can work on, or drop some ideas.

Thank you:

Mell Minamoto: We'll see about the Lily and James scenarios... I don't know exactly what I'd do with that one, unless I were to write them as already dead... or Lily trying to hide Harry, which would be akward, because she probably wouldn't be talking in that case... so I'll think on those, still. You should write some of these yourself ;)

Katkit: Thanks

Fast-talking Johnny: Heck yeah with Peter. I thought it would be good to have that random thinking of Peter in there. Jumping from person to person, thinking of what they had done wrong, but thinking they were his only salvation the next. I'm glad you liked it.

Evan M: Here you go... another update ;) This series is probably the most depressing thing I write. I tend to add comedy into my writing as well, even the drama, but this is definitely pure angst. Thanks for reviewing and I hope you like this chapter.


	9. Noble Neville

Disclaimer: I don't own the characters.

Chapter 9- Noble Neville

Why me? Why does everything happen to me? Cornish Pixies, howlers, broken wrists, everything! Why?! It's not like I don't try. I probably try harder than anyone in my year, including Granger. Honestly, I do. Even when I was younger I tried everything I could to move objects, like my cousin Joel could do. He was always ahead of me in everything. True, he was older, but does that mean everyone has to praise him? Not that it's Joel's fault I can't even do the simplest of spells.

There was only one person that continued to test the theory that I could be a wizard, and a bloody lot of good he was. Hanging me over balconies and sending large snakes into my room. Harmless snakes, but how was I to know that? I was only five!

Sometimes I wonder why I didn't turn out more like Dad. Gran always says how good he was, how well he did. Why can't I make her proud like Dad did? I don't ask that, though. She might just get upset. I hate to see her upset too; it's even worse than when she's angry. Uncle Algie starts to mimic Gran when she goes on about 'Family Honor', but that's because he doesn't care much about it. I do, and I try. I really try, and I always seem to fail.

I can't do _anything_ right. I tried to ask Hermione to the Yule Ball, and she already had a date. She was real nice to me, when she turned me down, but still… it's hard to hear you're not good enough. Even after Ginny said she'd go with me I had a hard time. She seemed more interested in the Ravenclaw than she did in me. Ginny was always really nice to me too, though. She stuck up for me when Harry and Ron were laughing at the idea that I had a date. Then again, that could be because they were laughing at her in the process. Still, she found some other guy. She dated him at the end of that year. Honestly I think that if I had stood like a wall between her and Corner she still would have seen straight through me.

I mean, who would be stupid enough to want to be with me anyway? I'm not cool or daring. I mess up the easiest spells, and take hours trying to figure out what I'm doing wrong with them. It's impossible that anyone would like me. Mum and Dad met in Hogwarts. Gran said Dad wrote home and couldn't stop talking about Mum. Gran said that she had to wait until summer before she could get his attention enough to find out about anything else. I suppose I don't have to meet someone at Hogwarts, but it would be nice to have the option.

Options are something I generally don't have. I don't have the option to have my parents back, that's for sure. They've been saying that they're trying to figure out how to get them back in a right state since I was seven. At least, that's the first time I remember asking. I guess I better stop hoping for a miracle. Sometimes I thought that perhaps I could find a plant. I had heard that even Muggles would use the healing powers of plants. I spent hours and hours of my time after that looking in books, seeing what different plants did. It was an obsession with me. Gran would have to tell me to put the books away before coming to dinner. I didn't want to put them down. I knew that somewhere, somehow inside those books there was an answer, a secret message that no one at Mungo's had noticed, telling them exactly how to cure Mum and Dad.

Sometimes I would daydream about how I would find it and be a hero. Everyone would look at me and smile and say 'I'd bet his family is proud'. Wouldn't that be some way to uphold the family honor?

None of it will happen, though. None of it will ever occur. I'll always be mediocre. I'll always be poor Neville Longbottom who couldn't do a spell to save his life. Sometimes I look back at how far I've come, at what spells I actually have gotten the hang of. It's a short-lived excitement, though. The thought of how far ahead other students are. Of how much better Granger can do and how much more capable Dean or Ron even are in comparison to me. I'll never be as good, no matter how far I go, but I guess I'm destined to keep trying.

A/N: Here is the one good thing that came out of my nervous breakdown last week. I was in my car after Winter Guard practice, bawling as I drove home and found myself identifying with the unlikeliest of characters. I just hope he has a good friend to talk him down from moments like these… because I'm lucky to have a really good best friend who did… (thanks a million Karbear! My best friend and my sister at heart…)

Please Review!

Thank you:

Katkit: Thanks a lot! I'm glad you liked it.

Capriceann hedican-Kocur: As we have already emailed, I'm sure you remember the answers to most of those questions. I'm glad you like this one. I hope you like this chapter as well.

JamieBell: I'm glad the Peter chapter worked properly. I don't think he's a really rational character. I feel bad for anyone who tries to edit that in their mind ;) I know the Dean chapter didn't exactly match up, but I had to write it that way or it would have been very repetitive. I wanted to initial reaction to come across, which I don't imagine would have been very good.


	10. Charlie's Correspondence

Chapter 10- Charlie's Correspondence

I love working with dragons, I really do. There aren't many anymore, and it's quite the opportunity to care for them and train them. Especially in a place that won't parade them around in sport and entertainment. There are few things The Romanian Preserve will do with the dragons outside of their natural environment. Not all dragons are as heartless as they may seem, though. Many prey on helpless animals, but don't other creatures do the same? Even humans eat their fair share of meat. The true way you see into any being is how they interact with their own kind.

Ukrainian Ironbellys, for example, have one of the most intricate living patterns anyone studying dragons will ever see. They're committed to the betterment of the group as a whole and protective of one another. Most dragons have to fend for themselves, with other breeds. Other dragons live in a 'survival of the fittest' mentality. Some breeds will even eat their young, if they don't find them sufficient enough. Ukrainian Ironbellys, though, protect. There's a stronghold there that nothing can divide up. They're hardest to deal with when one of their clan is taken away. They fight harder in that case than in any other scenario.

It's like my family, I guess. We're always one another's backbone. Bill once beat up this Slytherin that was giving me a hard time. Even when Mum was yelling at both of us he took the blame. We laughed about the incident after Mum's howler started to burn. No one messed with me after that. Not that Bill is violent by any means; it was more that people knew if they messed with one of us, they would deal with both, and we made quite the team. I was shorter than most the boys my age, but I certainly could pack a punch. The Gryffindor captain during my third year couldn't decide between making me a beater, or the seeker, since I was also quite small.

The Weasley's have always been that way, close as anything. Now, though, I feel like I've wandered; like I'm alone in the whole world. Sometimes I wonder if it would be better if they didn't write at all. I wonder if it would be better not to know about Bill's engagement and the fact that I won't get to be there until a few days before. I wonder if it would be better not to worry about what kind of messes Ron's going to get himself into, or Ginny.

I worry about Ginny most of all. It could be because she writes the most, but I don't know if that's really it. I feel so secluded and helpless. Ginny's my only sister and I haven't been there to see her grow up. I remember getting the letter about her first year. Mum and Dad told me not to mention it in letters, but they wanted me to know anyway. I couldn't believe Percy didn't realize, or Ron, or the twins even. How is it that they get privileged with spending as much time as they want with her, but could let something like that happen? It never would have if Bill or I had been around. Then again, none of us have ever really understood girls.

I got a letter from her just a week ago; a picture too. She's grown so much since The World Cup, I hardly recognized her. For a moment, I thought that perhaps she had found some old picture of Mum with an old boyfriend, but it wasn't. It was Ginny with a dark boy she called 'Dean'. I think Ron had told me about him before, but now she's dating him. It's odd to think of her dating someone.

And it's not like she's just dating one person; Ginny's already had her first breakup. Yet she seemed perfectly calm about it. It could be because she dumped him, but I still have a hard time with relationships. It makes me think Ginny acts too old for her own good.

Then there's Ron. He never writes. Mum and Ginny always fill me in on what he's been doing. Ginny told me he has himself a little girlfriend, or a want to be or something. It was Mum who told me it was Hermione. Hermione did seem like a girl that would help Ron keep his head on his shoulders. Then again, I wouldn't really know.

The twins sent me some samples of their new products. Just two of them. They said I'd have to see the others for myself. I don't know how I'm supposed to do that, though, when I'm always here. It's lonely knowing that everyone else is in on their jokes.

Mum and Dad haven't mentioned Percy in quite some time. Odd, really, as Mum usually can't do much else but brag of his accomplishments. He hasn't written me but one letter in a while as well. He said that he can't go along with it, but I'm not sure what he meant. Ginny told me later that he doesn't agree with The Order, and when I tried to write him, Percy just ignored my owls.

It seems so wrong, the manner in which we're being separated. I think there should have been more of a fight to pull things back together, but I don't know how to get them that way. An Ukrainian Ironbelly would eventually die in isolation, and I'm starting to feel a certain suffocation in my own seclusion.

I do love what I've chosen to earn a living doing, but somehow you can't help but wish you were closer to home. Until then, I suppose I'll have to live with the letters.

* * *

A/N: That's one of the easier ones, and one I hope doesn't become too true. I hope things are better with Percy and his family in book 6 (for poor Molly's sake) and I hope that Charlie might make another appearance.

Please review!

Thank you:

Fast-Talking Johny: Hey there, glad you liked the chapters. Dean's chapter was a bit… different. I eliminated description because I only wanted basic stage direction so it wouldn't just be a bunch of mumbling. If I hadn't inserted that it would have had the Peter Pettigrew feel to it, which I was avoiding at all cost. Besides that, I liked him talking to Ginny about it. And I love Neville. He's so kind and doesn't get jealous. I loved how excited he was to get the plant in book 5. He's such a cutie.

Hermione30: I'm turning some of these from the angsty side because not all characters are going to appear the same in their resentment. In this one, for example, Charlie's resentment is more of a longing than an anger. I did the most angsty ones to start with, but if I think of any more, I'll probably do them ;)

Katkit: Yeah, I'm weird, aren't I? lol

JamieBell: EWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW Pickles… yuck. I'm glad you liked that chapter, and I'm glad you were able to guess why. I'm going to have to come up with a tricky one for you and see what you make of it. The whole point with Neville is that he realizes that he's getting better, but wonders if he'll ever catch up. He always feels behind no matter how good he's getting.


End file.
